NEWARK, N.J. (November 29, 2017) – The Kean University women's basketball team topped Rutgers University-Newark 56-52 in a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) contest in The Golden Dome Wednesday night. The loss ends a four-game winning streak for the Scarlet Raiders.
 
Rutgers-Newark moves to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in NJAC play, while the Cougars improve to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Scarlet Raiders will look to get back into the win column Saturday afternoon with an NJAC game at Montclair State University.
 
Kean was able to come back in this one, erasing a six-point deficit to start the fourth quarter. The guests tied things 1:41 into the fourth, and opened a three-point lead after a three-pointer from junior Miesha Bacon with 6:24 on the clock. The Kean lead jumped to five with 5:21 left but Scarlet Raider junior guard Faith Ashby fed sophomore forward Barbara Hairs-Jackson for a bucket, and a jumper from Ashby with 2:46 on the clock pulled Rutgers back within one (52-51).
 
Unfortunately for the Raiders, the Ashby bucket was the final one of the game as Kean did enough down the stretch to secure the league win.
 
Rutgers-Newark shot 38.9 percent from the field (21-of-54), 2-for-13 from deep and 8-for-14 (57.1 percent) at the line. The Scarlet Raiders held a 42-37 margin in rebounds and assisted on 12 of their 21 baskets. R-N tallied nine steals and three blocks in the game as well.
 
Kean shot 22-for-64 (33.8 percent) from the floor, 7-for-26 from distance and 5-for-6 at the line, tallying 11 assists and nine thefts.
 
After trading baskets early, Rutgers-Newark scored six-straight points to double up the Cougars 12-6 with 2:34 to play in the first quarter. A jumper from Ashby with about 90 seconds on the clock made it 16-8 in favor of the hosts, and R-N settled on a 16-10 advantage after one.
 
Kean outscored the Scarlet Raiders 15-11 in the second, cutting the Newark lead to two at the break. Rutgers struggled with turnovers in the second stanza, and the two teams finished with 24 combined at the half.
 
Hairs-Jackson paced Rutgers-Newark in the first half, pocketing a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that featured six offensive boards.
 
It was all Rutgers-Newark out of the break, holding Kean without a basket for the first 5:03 of the second half while ripping off 10 points of its own to open a 37-25 lead. The run featured six points from Ashby, and the Scarlet Raiders held on to a 45-39 lead after three.
 
Ashby had 17 points, nine rebounds, five steals and three assists, while Hairs-Jackson finished with a sparkling 16-point, 13-rebound double-double, adding two steals to her line. Sophomore guard/forward Autumn Webster added seven points one block and one steal for Newark.
 
Guard Daneille Oakley had 15 points, four rebounds and two steals to lead Kean.
 
Tip-off Saturday at Montclair State is slated for 1 p.m. from the Panzer Athletic Center.